Written questions by Cross.

With reference to the Answer of 27 April 2026 to Question 128930 relating to Great British Energy staff numbers, how many people working for Great British Energy are employed as (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contingent labour staff from other public sector roles.

(a) There are currently 30 permanent staff assigned to Great British Energy (GBE).(b) There are 37 temporarily assigned staff from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, with 21 staff on loan to GBE from other departments across government and 12 secondments from various government departments and external organisations(c) There are 23 contingent staff assigned to GBE. GBE has had its Workforce Pay Case agreed and we expect it to significantly ramp up recruitment of permanent roles over the next financial year.

Further to the Answer of 27 April 2026 to Question 128930 on Great British Energy: Staff, how many people working for Great British Energy are employed as (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contingent labour staff.

Awaiting answer.

How many a) FTE roles there are at GB Energy b) GB Energy roles are permanently located in Aberdeen c) roles are solely GB Energy employees rather than seconded or equivalent from another Government or public sector departments and d) GB Energy employees previously worked in the oil and gas sector.

There are currently over 120 people working for Great British Energy (GBE), including permanent, temporary and contingent labour staff. GBE is expected to recruit significantly more permanent roles in Aberdeen over the next financial year. GBE’s Aberdeen HQ will host GBE's main corporate functions, supply chain activities, and major development projects including ambitions in deep-water offshore wind.

What consideration his Department has given of the potential merits of increasing the electricity export limit of 3.68 kW for domestic renewable energy systems without prior approval from the Distribution Network Operator.

The Department recognises that the export threshold may restrict some households seeking to maximise the benefits of generation. Ofgem, as part of its Connections End‑to‑End Review, has proposed to ask DNOs to review the threshold with the view to increase it (page 83 - https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-12/connections-end-to-end-review-next-steps-final.pdf). The Department is engaging closely with Ofgem, network companies and other stakeholders as this work progresses.

What steps he is taking to reduce barriers faced by households seeking to export surplus renewable electricity to the grid.

The Government recognises the importance of enabling households to export surplus renewable electricity to the grid, in part to ensure that they can realise value from their investments. The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a government scheme which gives small-scale generators the right to be paid for the electricity they export to the grid. The Government has recently committed to consult on changes to make it quicker and simpler for generators to be paid for the electricity they export to the grid.

What steps his Department taking to support off-grid households to report (a) significant cost increases and (b) cancelled orders of domestic oil.

The Government is closely monitoring heating oil supply and price in light of the instability in the Middle East. We are engaging daily with industry to understand the drivers of recent price movements and order cancelations. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to heating oil distributors today to remind them of their commitments under the UKIFDA Code of Practice, including the need for fair, transparent and justifiable pricing. Ministers have also spoken with the Competition and Markets Authority, who are aware of the issue and are considering the options available to them should concerns arise around unfair practices or anti-competitive behaviour. Off‑grid households continue to benefit from broader Government support, including energy bill reductions announced in the Autumn Budget and the Warm Home Discount, which provides eligible households with £150 off their energy bills until 2030/31.

What assessment his department has made of the potential impact of unionisation within the renewables industry on energy bills.

As set out in our Clean Energy Jobs Plan, trade unions working in partnership with government and industry will play a vital role in building the workforce to meet our clean energy ambitions. Hundreds of thousands of people could directly benefit from good jobs with fair wages in the clean energy sector – and we are clear that greater trade union recognition is one of the main ways to improve job quality. This is good for workers and good for business, as studies have shown that workplaces with strong trade union representation have greater job satisfaction, improved retention, and stronger productivity growth which will benefit the sector.

What estimate his Department has made of changes in the level of gas imports from (a) Norway, (b) USA, (c) Qatar and (d) the rest of the world relative to UK domestically produced gas from 2025 to 2030 by (i) volume and (ii) proportion.

The Government works with the Energy System operators to closely monitor and forecast the UK’s supply and demand for natural gas. The National Energy System Operator’s 2025 publication of Future Energy Scenarios contains a breakdown of gas supply sources, including imports to the UK.

Whether he has made an estimate of the change in the number of jobs in the North Sea oil and gas sector from (a) operator and (b) supply chain companies in each year between 2026 and 2030.

Robert Gordon University estimates that by the early 2030s, the UK oil and gas workforce will be between 57,000 and 71,000, down from 115,000 in 2024. The natural decline of North Sea oil and gas has seen more than 70,000 jobs lost in the last decade. The Government published its North Sea Future Plan (26 November), setting out how we will support our North Sea supply chains, protect current jobs, and secure the next generation of good jobs.

How many times he has (a) visited Aberdeen, (b) visited Aberdeenshire and (c) met an oil and gas company in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire to discuss their activities; and if he will list what businesses he met with.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

When he last visited (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire; when he last met with representatives of an oil and gas company in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire to discuss their oil and gas activities; and if he will list what companies he met with.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Whether his Department plans to allow captured carbon to be delivered by ship to its final storage location.

The Government recognises that non-pipeline methods of CO2 transportation (for example, road, rail, barge and ship) will play an integral role in achieving decarbonisation across multiple regions and sectors of the economy, to meet our carbon budget targets and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Non-pipeline transport (NPT) will be required where it is not technically or economically feasible to connect to a CO2 storage sites via a pipeline. The Government intends to publish an NPT consultation later this year which will include seeking views on support for NPT costs, risk allocation and economic licensing.

What his Department's planned timetable is for (a) making and (b) announcing its decision on whether Mingyang Smart Energy will be permitted to supply turbines for (i) Green Volt and (ii) other wind projects.

The suppliers that offshore wind projects use are a commercial decision for the company involved. As an open economy, we welcome foreign trade and investment, including from China, where it supports growth and jobs in the UK, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security.

What steps he is taking to future-proof the carbon capture and storage industry.

The Government is working to create a CCUS industry and has provided increased support to UK CCUS by allocating £9.4 billion in capital budgets over the Spending Review period. The Government has announced its support for the Acorn (Scotland) and Viking (Humber) clusters and is providing the development funding to advance their delivery. A final investment decision (FID) will be taken later this Parliament, subject to project readiness and affordability. The Government is actively engaging industry on key enabling CCUS policies to ensure we can build the longer-term pipeline of projects that in turn will grow the economy, contribute to the Clean Power Mission and is done at lowest cost to reach Net Zero.

Whether he has had recent discussions with his Norwegian counterpart on (a) the Northern Lights project and (b) the viability of emulating their non-pipeline transport of carbon dioxide in the UK.

On 7th May 2025, the Secretary of State met with Minister Aasland, his Norwegian counterpart, on the occasion of signing a Green Industrial Partnership with the Norwegian Government. This recognised the importance of continued collaboration on Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS), including a commitment to initiate work to identify gaps and challenges to the development of our common North Sea as a hub for carbon storage. Sharing knowledge from current projects, including the Northern Lights CCS project, will play an important role. Our recently published Industrial Strategy: Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan emphasised how the UK’s favourable geology offers capacity to safely store up to 78 billion tonnes of CO2 and the potential to offer international CO2 storage services. Non-pipeline transport, especially the transport of CO2 via ship, will help maximise this geological potential.

What recent discussions he has had with the North Sea Transition Authority on its statutory duty to maximise the economic recovery of oil and gas in the UK Continental shelf.

Details of Ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that levels of (a) oil and (b) gas production from existing fields are maintained.

The Government has committed to maintaining existing fields for their lifetime. Earlier this year, the Government consulted on ‘Building the North Sea’s energy future’, including proposals not to issue new licences to explore new fields and to partner with business and workers to manage existing fields for their lifespan. A Government response to the consultation will be published in due course. Oil and gas production efficiency is monitored by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA). The NSTA publishes a UK Continental Shelf Production Efficiency dashboard on its website

What information his Department holds on the (a) onshore and (b) offshore workforce in the North Sea oil and gas sector in (i) July 2024 and (ii) March 2025.

The Department does not hold its own estimates for the offshore or onshore North Sea oil and gas sector workforce. According to ONS data[1], direct jobs in oil and gas extraction fell by around a third between 2014 and 2023, despite ongoing domestic licensing and production.As Britain becomes a clean energy superpower, the Government is determined to create new high-quality jobs to ensure a phased and responsible transition in the North Sea.This is vital for delivering the best outcomes for workers and communities, energy security, and sustainable economic growth.[1] ONS Business Register and Employment Surveyhttps://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/industry235digitsicbusinessregisterandemploymentsurveybrestable2(opens in a new tab)

How much were constraint payments to wind farm operators in Great Britain (a) in total and (b) for each month between 1 April 2024 and 30 April 2025.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for operating Great Britain’s electricity system, which includes managing constraints. The NESO publishes daily constraint costs here: Constraint Breakdown Costs and Volume | National Energy System Operator. Data is not available on the split of costs between different types of generators. Constraints are a natural part of operating an efficient electricity system and electricity systems around the world use the constraint payment model. Government is working to reduce constraints and enable a more secure energy system by accelerating the build of electricity network infrastructure to increase capacity.

On how many days were wholesale electricity prices in excess of £150 per megawatt hour during winter 2024-25.

The Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) publishes this data. It is available here:https://dp.lowcarboncontracts.uk/dataset/imrp-actuals